Persistent effects of experimental heatwave duration on population dynamics.

Authors

Emma B Gruntz, Tess N Grainger

Published in

Biology letters. Volume 22. Issue 10. Oct 07, 2026.

Abstract

Heatwaves are becoming longer, more frequent and more intense under climate change. However, we still have a limited understanding of the longer term (multi-generational) impacts of heatwaves, and of the demographic mechanisms that underly these effects. To address these gaps, we conducted an experiment using a model system of flour beetles (Tribolium castaneum) that tested the effects of heatwave duration on population dynamics. We subjected replicate beetle populations to a single 38°C heatwave event of one of four durations (0, 5, 10 or 15 days) and then tracked population sizes, birth rates and mortality rates for 7 months (approx. 7 generations). We found that, initially, heatwaves reduced population growth rates by temporarily lowering birth rates (via reduced fecundity), but that later in the experiment, the impact of heatwaves on population dynamics occurred via increased mortality rates. Together, these demographic effects resulted in a sustained suppression of population sizes throughout the experiment, as populations exposed to longer heatwaves (10-day and 15-day) experienced reduced carrying capacities for the duration of the experiment. Our findings indicate that heatwaves can have persistent negative impacts on population dynamics that could be underestimated by focusing solely on short-term responses.

PMID:
42901537
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 21 Oct 2026.

Read full publication at:
Please sign in to see all details.

Stats

1-terrible, 9-excellent. How would you rate this publication? Sign in in to submit your rating.

Post a comment

You need to be signed in to post comments. You can sign in here.

Comments

There are no comments yet.